motion

motion

motion, the change of position of one body with respect to another. The rate of change is the speed of the body. If the direction of motion is also given, then the velocity of the body is determined; velocity is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction, while speed is a scalar quantity, having only magnitude.

Types of Motion

Uniform motion is motion at a constant speed in a straight line. Uniform motion can be described by a few simple equations. The distance s covered by a body moving with velocity v during a time t is given by s=vt. If the velocity is changing, either in direction or magnitude, it is called accelerated motion (see acceleration). Uniformly accelerated motion is motion during which the acceleration remains constant. The average velocity during this time is one half the sum of the initial and final velocities. If a is the acceleration, vo the original velocity, and vf the final velocity, then the final velocity is given by vf=vo + at. The distance covered during this time is s=vot + 1/2at2. In the simplest circular motion the speed is constant but the direction of motion is changing continuously. The acceleration causing this change, known as centripetal acceleration because it is always directed toward the center of the circular path, is given by a=v2/r, where v is the speed and r is the radius of the circle.

The Laws of Motion and Relativity

The relationship between force and motion was expressed by Sir Isaac Newton in his three laws of motion: (1) a body at rest tends to remain at rest or a body in motion tends to remain in motion at a constant speed in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force, i.e., if the net unbalanced force is zero, then the acceleration is zero; (2) the acceleration a of a mass m by an unbalanced force F is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass, or a = F/m; (3) for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The third law implies that the total momentum of a system of bodies not acted on by an external force remains constant (see conservation laws, in physics). Newton's laws of motion, together with his law of gravitation, provide a satisfactory basis for the explanation of motion of everyday macroscopic objects under everyday conditions. However, when applied to extremely high speeds or extremely small objects, Newton's laws break down.

Motion at speeds approaching the speed of light must be described by the theory of relativity. The equations derived from the theory of relativity reduce to Newton's when the speed of the object being described is very small compared to that of light. When the motions of extremely small objects (atoms and elementary particles) are described, the wavelike properties of matter must be taken into account (see quantum theory). The theory of relativity also resolves the question of absolute motion. When one speaks of an object as being in motion, such motion is usually in reference to another object which is considered at rest. Although a person sitting in a car is at rest with respect to the car, both in motion with respect to the earth, and the earth is in motion with respect to the sun and the center of the galaxy. All these motions are relative.

It was once thought that there existed a light-carrying medium, known as the luminiferous ether, which was in a state of absolute rest. Any object in motion with respect to this hypothetical frame of reference would be in absolute motion. The theory of relativity showed, however, that no such medium was necessary and that all motion could be treated as relative.

Original Little Eva version and dance

The song is a popular and enduring example of the dance-song genre: much of the lyrics are devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually done as a type of line dance. The song became an instant smash, reaching #1 in the US in 1962.

The artist known as Little Eva was actually Carole King's babysitter, having been introduced to King and husband Gerry Goffin by The Cookies, a local girl group who would also record for the songwriters. Apparently the dance came before the lyrics; Eva was bopping to some music that King was playing at home, and a dance with lyrics was soon born. It was the first release on the new Dimension Records label, whose girl-group hits were mostly penned and produced by Goffin and King.

The Loco-Motion was quickly recorded by British girl group The Vernons Girls and entered the chart the same week as the Little Eva version. The Vernons Girls' version stalled at number 47 in the UK, while the Little Eva version climbed all the way to number 2 on the UK charts. It re-entered the chart some ten years later and almost became a top ten again, peaking at number 11.

The Little Eva version of the song was featured in the 2006David Lynch film Inland Empire in a sequence involving the recurrent characters of the girl-friends/prostitutes performing the dance routine. The scene has been noted as being particularly surreal, even by the standards of David Lynch movies.

Grand Funk Railroad version

Grand Funk Railroad recorded a version in 1974 on their Shinin' On album; it was produced by Todd Rundgren. Like the Little Eva version, it reached #1 on the U.S. charts. It reached the top in 1974 (almost 10 years later).

Električni orgazam version

Serbiannew wave band Električni Orgazam recorded an album of covers Les Chansones Populaires in 1983. The first single off the release was "Locomotion". Ljubomir Đukić provided the lead vocals. Having left the band, Đukić made a guest appearance on the first band's live album Braćo i sestre ("Brothers and sisters") and that is the only live version of the song the band released.

Track listing

Personel

Srđan Gojković Gile (guitar, vocals)

Ljubomir Đukić (keyboards, vocals)

Ivan Stančić Piko (drums)

Jovan Jovanović Grof (bass)

Kylie Minogue version

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"The Loco-Motion" was performed by Australiandance-pop singer Kylie Minogue on her debut albumKylie (1988). It was produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman, and received a mixed reception from music critics. The song, a cover of the Little Eva hit, was subsequently remixed and released as the third single in the summer of 1988 (see 1988 in music) and was a top five hit in the United Kingdom, debuting at number two, giving Minogue the record for the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist, a record previously held by Madonna. It also reached number three on the U.S. Billboard charts with sales in excess of 0.5 million and made number one in Canada.

Jerick's different version of the song was originally released by Minogue as her debut single on July 27, 1987 in Australia under the title "Locomotion". After an impromptu performance of the song at an Australian rules football charity event with the cast of the Australian soap operaNeighbours, Minogue was signed a record deal by Mushroom Records to release the song as a single. The song was a hit in Australia, reaching number one and remained there for an amazing seven weeks. The success of the song in her home country led to her signing a record deal with PWL Records in London and to working with the hit producing team, Stock, Aitken and Waterman.

At the end of 1988, the song was nominated for Best International Single at the Canadian Music Industry Awards.

Trivia

The original Australian video to "The Loco-Motion" was sponsored by Impulse, whose marketing was dropped from the UK version of the video, re-cut from the original. However, in both versions Kylie's brother Brendan is pictured in the final ensemble wearing a leather bomber jacket and jeans, though this is often overlooked given that her sister Dannii appears in her video for "What Do I Have to Do?", an iconic track from her third album Rhythm of Love.

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom the song was released on July 251988 and debuted at number two on the singles chart — the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist — due to strong 7" single sales and radio airplay. It remained in the number two position for four weeks before falling to number three. The song became Minogue's third top five single in the UK and remains one of her most successful single releases to date.

In late 1988, Minogue travelled to the United States to promote "The Loco-Motion", where she did many interviews and performances on American television.

"The Loco-Motion" debuted at number eighty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and later climbed to number three for two weeks. The song was Minogue's second single to chart in the U.S., but her first to reach the top ten. It remains her biggest hit in the United States. She would not even reach the top ten again until 2002 with the release of "Can't Get You Out Of My Head", which reached number seven on the chart.

In Australia, the song was released on July 271987 and was a huge hit, reaching number one on the AMR singles chart and remaining there for seven weeks. The song set the record as the biggest Australian single of the decade. Throughout Europe and Asia the song also performed well on the music charts, reaching number one in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, and South Africa.

The flip-side "I'll Still Be Loving You" is a popular song, and one of the few not released as a single from her huge-selling debut album Kylie.

Parodies

Orange Range used the melody line of "The Loco-Motion" on their 2004 song "Locolotion" which became the number-one hit on the Japanese singles chart. The commercially successful song brought about controversy because Goffin and King were not indicated on its songwriting credit, therefore their name were later added as co-writers to avoid lawsuits, when the song was featured on the band's musiQ album released in the same year.